Kind of middle of the road and plays it safe. I’m not sure if I really like any of the characters yet. I read one of the books this series is based on, and I’m not sure that the cast is who I would have imagined for the roles, but they seem to do decent jobs. Maybe the “Kiss-me-not” serial killer story arc will bring me in a bit more.

Charming, funny, Christina Applegate is great. The supporting cast is good though Jennifer Esposito’s character could use a bit of toning down perhaps. Probably the best new 1/2 hour comedy this season.

I actually kind of liked this show. I had really liked Sons and Daughters starring Fred Goss, and have liked Jerry O’Connell in many of the things he’s been in. It’s kind of typical sit-com, but somehow it just seemed to click a bit better than some of the other shows that are new this season.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It wasn’t outrageously funny, but definitely caused some laughter. It was very much in the vein of a Big Chill meets Jersey Girl meets some movie where the main character falls in love with his sibling’s girlfriend only to meet her at the place they’re staying together at with comic results. Occasionally predictable and the pacing was sometimes a little off, but made up of familiar scenes and consequences, but still very enjoyable. Good for a date, although maybe a bit better for older couples.

Grade: B+

How I Met Your Mother: Wait for It (Season Premiere)

The Big Bang Theory: Pilot (Series Premiere)

Full of the nerd/geek stereotypes and generally lazy writing. Occasionally funny, but not that much different from any other sitcom.

Grade: C

Chuck: Pilot (Series Premiere)

Very charming and funny. Love Sarah Lancaster.

Grade: A-

Journeyman: Pilot (Series Premiere)

Thought it was going to be a ripoff of Quantum Leap, but while it’s similar in theme, the execution is much different and actually creates a lot more tension and conflict in the characters and situations. It’s about as original as anything gets on TV anymore.

Grade: B+

P.S. My DVR decided that instead of recording Heroes, it would record 2 and 1/2 Men and Rules of Engagement and label it as Heroes. I’m implementing my backup plan of torrenting it. NBC’s player really bites ass. I’d even consider buying it off iTunes if it were available instead of dealing with NBC’s janky site.

OK, It’s that time of the year again. The season premieres are coming and I’m getting psyched up to watch it all. Well maybe not all of it, but at least some of it. I’m going to lay out the premiere dates and talk a bit about which shows I’m excited about.

Well, I'm rather behind on reviewing the newest shows, so in the interests of my laziness, I have a mini-review of Free Ride and just grades for the rest of the new shows I've watched.

Free Ride
(Sunday at 9:30 on FOX)

Nate (Josh Dean) has just graduated college in California and is heading home to Missouri. Dissatisfied with his degree’s career path, he thinks spending some time at home will help him find direction. Back home he runs into someone from high school, Amber (Erin Cahill) and is smitten but finds out she’s engaged. Luckily (or unluckily) he runs into Mark Dove (Dave Sheridan), someone who wishes he still was in high school, who makes it his personal mission to see that Nate parties hearty. Throw in his parents who are in therapy and didn’t expect him to return and make him live in the garage, and you have the makings of a quarter-life crisis.

This show, like Sons and Daughters, has some of the dialogue improvised, whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is another matter altogether. For the most part though, it is pretty funny, with Dove providing most of the laughs.

Grade: B-

ABC

Sons and Daughters(Tuesday at 9:00 and 9:30)

Partially improvised, Cameron and Sharon are funny, but the kids often steal the show.

Grade: B+

CBS

The Unit(Tuesdays at 10:00)

Haven't watched yet… 3 (4?) episodes on the DVR waiting

Grade: INC

The New Adventures of Old Christine(Monday at 9:30)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is very funny, unfortunately, most of the supporting cast does very little supporting.

Grade: B

NBC

Heist(Wednesdays at 10:00)

Even though it's very Ocean's Eleven-ish, interesting nonetheless

Grade: B

Conviction(Fridays at 10:00)

Not watched yet. May be canceled from favorites.

Grade: INC

Teachers(Tuesdays at 9:30)

Stars Sarah Alexander (Coupling – Original BBC version), and a bunch of other people whom the only other I recognize is Kali Rocha (Halfreck; Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Seems OK for the one episode I've seen.

Grade: C+

WB

Modern Men
(Fridays at 9:30)

3 dudes with woman woes jointly seek the advice of a life coach. Blah.

Mini Review: This is American Idol but for people with crazy inventions. Which makes sense because it's produced by Simon Cowell. I like the inventions and the pitch part of the program but there is so much of the emotional aspect of the show that kind of annoys me. It's pretty good though. I'm interested to see where these invention go, and how many of these will end up on an infomercial.